| Course | DNP 851A Project Implementation |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 6 |
| Paper type | Progress communication paper |
| Length | About 1,005 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | DNP |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for DNP 851A Module 6
Telling Each Audience What It Needs: Communicating Progress in a Nurse-Led Pediatric Asthma Program
Student Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice Program, Aspen University
DNP 851A: Project Implementation
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Telling Each Audience What It Needs: Communicating Progress in a Nurse-Led Pediatric Asthma Program
Implementation succeeds partly on how well people know what is happening. Nurses need to see whether their work is changing anything; clinic leaders need to know whether the program is worth its cost in time; the Project Committee needs to know whether the project is on track and whether any change to the approved plan requires its agreement. This paper describes how progress is being shared in my DNP project, where pediatric clinic nurses provide written asthma plans and hands-on inhaler coaching. It sets out the plan by audience, explains how feedback to staff was designed, shows the one-page update used each fortnight and the committee report, and describes how disappointing news was handled.
The Communication Plan
Each audience was matched with the information it needs, a format it will actually read and a frequency that fits its role; the table sets these out.
| Audience | What they need | Format | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nurses delivering visits | Their own delivery data, problems, fixes | Huddle and one-page run chart update | Weekly huddle; update every two weeks |
| Medical assistants and front desk | Tasks that changed; thanks for what worked | Huddle | Weekly |
| Clinic manager and medical director | Visits, fidelity, staff time, early outcomes, risks | One-page update and 15-minute meeting | Every two weeks |
| Pediatricians and nurse practitioners | Which of their patients enrolled; action plans needing signature | Record message and list | Weekly |
| School nurses | Plans for their students; contact for questions | Plan sent with a cover letter | At each enrollment |
| Families | Their child's plan; how to reach the nurse | Plan and card in their language | At visit and two-week call |
| Project Committee | Progress against plan, deviations, decisions needed | Written report and meeting | Monthly |
Designing Feedback for Staff
Feedback to the nurses is a form of audit and feedback, and the evidence on it shaped the design. A Cochrane review of 140 studies concluded that audit and feedback tends to bring modest yet worthwhile gains in clinicians' practice, and that its effect may be larger when baseline performance is low, when the feedback comes from a supervisor or colleague, when it is given more than once, when it is both spoken and written, and when it includes explicit targets and an action plan (Ivers et al., 2012). Each of those features was built in. Feedback comes from the site mentor, a respected colleague. It is given every week at the huddle and in writing every two weeks. It shows each element against its target, such as 85% of consented plans sent to school, and it ends with one agreed action for the next fortnight.
The One-Page Update
The fortnightly update fits on one page. The top half shows three run charts: visits completed each week, the share of visits with every core element documented, and the share of consented plans sent to school, each with its median and target line. Reading the charts uses the rules for run charts, so that a single good or bad week is not mistaken for a trend (Perla et al., 2011). The bottom half lists what changed in the past two weeks, what the team will test next and one line of thanks naming a specific contribution. Staff said they read the page because it takes two minutes, and because the charts show their own work.
Reporting to the Project Committee
The monthly committee report is more formal. It states enrollment against the target, fidelity by element, any deviation from the approved protocol, safety events, and the progress of data collection. It ends with decisions needed. At the first report, the committee was asked to approve two changes. The first, setting the visit length at 45 minutes for children under eight, changed delivery but not the core intervention, and the committee agreed it did not require a protocol amendment. The second, querying the regional health information exchange for outside emergency visits, affected data collection, and the committee advised notifying the review board, which was done before any query was run.
Between meetings, the chair receives a short email within two working days of any safety event, so that the committee never learns of a problem first from the monthly report.
Sharing Disappointing News
Not every update was good. In week six the share of consented plans sent to school had reached only 68%, well below the 85% target. The update stated the figure plainly, showed it on the chart and explained the cause the log had found: no one owned the task. It then named the fix, a daily list managed by the front-desk lead. Stating the shortfall directly, with its cause and the response, kept staff from assuming that the project was hiding problems, and it gave the front-desk team credit when the rate rose over the next four weeks.
Communicating With Families and Schools
Families receive information about their own child, not the project. Each family leaves with the plan in its preferred language and a card with the nurse's direct line. Sharing the plan with school follows the national guideline's advice that the child's plan be available wherever symptoms may occur (National Asthma Education and Prevention Program, 2007). School nurses receive the plan with a short cover letter explaining the zones and inviting questions; two school nurses have already called, and one asked for a larger print version for a classroom, which was added to the template. These contacts are logged because they show whether the plan is reaching the places where children have symptoms.
Conclusion
Communicating progress well means giving each audience what it needs in a form it will read. For staff, the design follows evidence on audit and feedback: a trusted source, repeated, spoken and written, with targets and a next action. For leaders and the committee, it means short, honest reports that ask for decisions when they are needed. Clear communication has helped the team see its own progress and fix problems early.
The plan will be kept through the final weeks and adapted for the closing report.
References
Ivers, N., Jamtvedt, G., Flottorp, S., Young, J. M., Odgaard-Jensen, J., French, S. D., O'Brien, M. A., Johansen, M., Grimshaw, J., & Oxman, A. D. (2012). Audit and feedback: Effects on professional practice and healthcare outcomes. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2012(6), Article CD000259. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD000259.pub3
National Asthma Education and Prevention Program. (2007). Expert panel report 3: Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma (NIH Publication No. 07-4051). National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Perla, R. J., Provost, L. P., & Murray, S. K. (2011). The run chart: A simple analytical tool for learning from variation in healthcare processes. BMJ Quality & Safety, 20(1), 46-51. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs.2009.037895
Reading the DNP 851A Module 6 assignment instructions
Module 6 asks how the project keeps people informed. Aspen describes DNP 851A as the implementation course, carried out under the Project Committee, and because the module prompt is shared only in the classroom, that description guided this example. A communication paper usually asks you to identify stakeholders, plan what each will receive and how often, describe reports to your committee and explain how feedback supports the change. Your chair may want sample updates or reports as appendices, or a communication or change theory applied to the plan. Check the page limit and sources, and include at least one example of how you communicated a problem, not only a success.
How this DNP 851A Module 6 example is built
The example holds about 1,010 words in eight sections. The introduction explains why different audiences need different information. The plan appears as a table with seven audiences. Designing feedback for staff connects each feature of the feedback to the audit and feedback evidence. The one-page update is described in its two halves, with run chart rules for reading it. Reporting to the Project Committee describes the monthly report, the decisions requested and the between-meeting safety notice. Sharing disappointing news shows how a low rate was reported with its cause and fix. Communicating with families and schools covers plans in the family's language and school nurse contact, and the conclusion summarizes the principles.
Where the marks sit in the DNP 851A Module 6 rubric
Rubrics for this paper usually reward audience analysis, evidence-based feedback and transparency with the committee. Audience analysis is shown in a table that starts from each audience's needs, and the margin notes point out that design choice. Evidence-based feedback earns marks because each feature of the staff update is tied to findings from a large review. Transparency appears in the committee report's list of decisions, in notifying the review board before a new data source was used, and in reporting a shortfall plainly. Attention to families and schools shows that communication reaches the people the project serves. Final marks cover the APA table and correct citations for the review, the run chart method and the guideline.
Common DNP 851A Module 6 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Communication plans often go wrong by listing stakeholders without saying what each needs or how often. Build it from the reader's side. Students also send long reports that nobody reads; a one-page update with charts is more likely to be used. Another frequent gap is reporting only good news, which erodes trust when problems surface later. Share shortfalls with their causes and fixes. Papers sometimes forget the committee's role in approving changes. Ask for decisions explicitly and notify the review board when data collection changes. Finally, include families. A project that communicates well with staff but not with the people it serves has missed half its audience.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
More DNP 851A and DNP sample papers
- DNP 851A Module 1: Launch Plan and Readiness Check
- DNP 851A Module 2: Educating the Staff Who Deliver It
- DNP 851A Module 3: Implementation Log and Fidelity
- DNP 851A Module 4: Barriers and Small Tests of Change
- DNP 851A Module 5: Monitoring Data Collection
- DNP 851A Module 7: Midpoint Review and Adjustments
- DNP 851A Module 8: Implementation Report
- DNP 840 Module 5: Break-Even and Cost Behavior Analysis
- DNP870 Module 7: Legislative Testimony
- DNP 805 Module 7: Spreading a Unit Practice Across a System
- DNP 835 Module 3: Comparing Quality Improvement Models
DNP 851A Module 6 questions, answered
What does DNP 851A Module 6 usually ask for?
Aspen's DNP 851A description covers the implementation phase under the Project Committee, so a paper on communicating progress to stakeholders and the committee is a typical assignment. Check your classroom for the prompt.
How often should a DNP project report to its committee?
Many committees expect a written update monthly during implementation, plus immediate notice of any safety event or change that could need review board approval. Follow your chair's schedule.
What makes feedback to staff effective?
Evidence on audit and feedback suggests it works better from a respected colleague, repeated, spoken and written, with explicit targets and an action plan, especially when baseline performance is low.
Where can I find a free DNP 851A Module 6 sample paper?
A complete communication paper for a pediatric asthma program is printed here, audience table and notes included, free for any reader. It is the sixth of eight DNP 851A samples built around the same implementation.
What should DNP 851A Module 6 report to the committee?
Progress against the plan, fidelity by element, any deviation from the approved protocol, safety events, the state of data collection and a list of decisions you need. Notify the chair of safety events between meetings.